Following the unsurprising offseason departure of stalwart Nickel cornerback Mike Hilton, and the far more unpredictable release of Joe Haden’s running mate on the boundary, Steven Nelson, the Steelers enter their 2021 campaign with uncertainty at the cornerback position. While the defense has two solid options along the boundary in the savvy veteran Joe Haden and versatile sub package defender Cameron Sutton making his transition toward a starting role, the options to replace Sutton’s sub package snaps remains an open competition, and perhaps the most important of this year’s upcoming training camp.
While the team has signed a plethora of slot capable options to assume Sutton’s role and allow the young cornerback to focus on his transition to the boundary, including Arthur Maulet, Tre Norwood, and my favorite, Shakur Brown, I’d argue that the team’s best sub package option is a player who cut his teeth on special teams as a UDFA rookie this past season, James Pierre.